33 injured, 1 missing as Typhoon Podul sweeps across Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Typhoon Podul swept across Taiwan for about three hours Wednesday afternoon, leaving 33 people injured and one angler missing as of 7:31 p.m., according to the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC).

The typhoon made landfall in the eastern county of Taitung at around 1 p.m. and left Taiwan from the southern city of Tainan at around 4 p.m.

● Typhoon Podul leaves Taiwan Wednesday afternoon

Of the 33 people injured, Taitung and the southern city of Kaohsiung saw the heaviest tolls, with 13 cases each, the CEOC said.

The missing person is a 28-year-old man surnamed Lin (林), who is believed to have been swept out to sea in Chiayi County's Budai Township in southern Taiwan at around 1 p.m. while fishing in an area the local government earlier designated a warning zone, the CEOC added.

Police said Lin and a friend went to the seawall in the morning before severe gusts and rain hit, relocating to the estuary of the Bajhang River to fish at low tide.

After noon, as the tide began to rise, Lin's friend headed back toward the seawall, while Lin stayed behind to continue fishing.

When Lin later failed to return, his friend searched the area and, suspecting he had fallen into the water and been swept away, reported the incident to the Chiayi County Fire Bureau at around 1:05 p.m.

Rescuers launched a search, but strong winds and heavy swells generated by the typhoon severely hampered operations, which were suspended at 2:40 p.m. with no result. The search will resume once weather conditions improve, the fire bureau said.

In terms of Typhoon Podul's ongoing impact, the CEOC said it will continue to affect Taiwan's east and south as well as outlying islands, warning of large waves along the east coast and urging the public to stay away from beaches and water activities.

Heavy rain brought by the typhoon will also affect eastern and southern Taiwan, as well as mountainous areas in central and southern regions, putting low-lying coastal and flood-prone zones at risk of flooding, the CEOC added.

As the typhoon swept through Taiwan, power outages occurred across the country, with more than 130,000 households at one point experiencing blackouts as of 3 p.m., according to the CEOC.

Of those, 76,000 had been restored and 58,000 remained without electricity as of 3 p.m., mostly in Taitung, with repairs set to proceed as the weather permits, the CEOC said.

As the county directly hit by Typhoon Podul, Taitung was battered by strong winds for most of the day, with damage including the blowing out of the emergency room doors at the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Taitung Hospital, which forced the temporary suspension of ER intake.

Gusts in Taitung City reached level 12 on the Beaufort scale -- equivalent to winds of 118-133 kilometers per hour (kph) -- as the typhoon passed, toppling shop signs and motorcycles and sending wind and rain into the ER service counter and waiting area.

Following the incident, affected areas were cordoned off, and patients and staff began using alternate entrances, with ER services expected to be restored by the evening, the hospital said.

Taitung's Public Health Bureau said it has coordinated with the fire department to divert emergency patients to other hospitals until operations at Taitung Hospital return to normal.